Casket bed



July 2l, 1942- E. E. wlDDowsoNv 2,290,514 f \g\\ www GASKET BED Filed March 19, l942 Patented July 21, 1942 GASKET BED Edgar E. Widdowson, 'Bellefenta Pa.

Application March 19, 1942, Serial No. 435,413

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a casket bed, and it is an object of the invention to provide a bed of l this kind which can be positioned within a casket in a manner to support a corpse in a raised position with respect to the casket to facilitate display.

Itis also anobjectof Vthe'invention to provide a bed of this kind mounted within a casket in a manner whereby a corpse may be lowered, raised or tilted to a desired position without disturbance of the corpse or to interior of the casket.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved casket bed whereby certain important advantages are attained, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order that my invention may be better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in top plan illustrating a bed constructed in accordance with an embodiment of my invention and in applied position, the associated casket being illustrated in a somewhat diagrammatic manner.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a detailed sectional View taken on the line 3 3 of Figure l.

In the accompanying drawing, C denotes a casket and which casket is illustrated in a somewhat diagrammatic manner and free of trimmings. Each of the end walls I of the casket has rigidly secured thereto, as at 2, in any devide therealong the upwardly facing ratchet 1' shoulders 1, the shoulders 'l of one member 6 being substantially horizontally aligned with the shoulder 'I of the second member 6.

The bed B as herein disclosed comprises a plurality of longitudinally disposed but transversely spaced parallel strips 8 connected by the transversely disposed underlying members or bars 9 secured to the strips 8 in any desired manner, as indicated at I0. The bed B is of a length substantially coextensive with the length of the interior of thecasket C and the end cross members 9 extend beyond the opposite sides-of the bed B to provide the laterally disposed lugs II which closely approach the members v6 whenthe bed is applied within the casket and whereby the bed is effectively held against undue endwise shifting.

The side strips 8 of the bed B have corresponding longitudinal marginal portions downwardly and outwardly beveled, as at I2, to allow said side strips 8 to have effective engagement with selected shoulders 1 of the members 6.

The lugs II also coact with the members 6 to facilitate the application and also the desired vertical adjustment of the bed B. When the bed B is first applied within the casket it is so arranged as to have the side strips 8 entirely to one side of the shouldered marginal portions of the members 6. When the bed B has been properly lowered within the casket, transverse shifting movement of the bed B in one direction will cause the side strips 8 to have desired engagement with a selected shoulder 'I of a member 6.

After the bed B` has been placed in desired adjusted position within the casket, it is locked in such position by the dogs or pawls I4 pivotally mounted, as at I5, to the end cross bars 9. In the present embodiment of my invention, there is one of these dogs or pawls I4 on each of the end cross bars 9 and at a point immediately inward of the side member 8 which is arranged outwardly of its associated member 6, so that when the dog or pawl I4 is swung into position to contact the adjacent member 6, as is clearly illustrated in Figure 6, the bed B is effectively held against lateral shifting and thus effectively maintained in desired adjusted position. To further facilitate the functioning of each of these dogs or pawls I4, the same is of a shouldered type, as clearly illustrated in Figure l of the drawing. Y

With my improved bed, a corpse may be effectively held in a raised position high enough to be viewed at a greater distance from the casket than is now possible by use of the regular padding now generally employed. This is of decided advantage as plastic surgery or any other artificial make-up will look much better when not viewed too close.

With my improved bed, the corpse may be lowered, raised and tilted to any desired positio-n without disturbing the corpse in any way while the adjustments are being made, and my improved bed has the further decided advantage of making it more convenient to place the corpse in the casket. It is equally true that my improved bed allows a corpse to be easily removed from the casket as the bed can be raised to a height to bring the corpse to the top of the casket, thus making it unnecessary to reach down into the casket in order to get under the corpse for removal.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that a casket bed constructed in accordance with my invention is particularly Well adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a casket, vertically disposed members carried by the end Walls of the casket, said members being transversely spaced at each end of the casket, said members having shoulders disposed transversely of the casket, the shoulders of the members extending in the same direction, and a bed including transversely spaced longitudinal members, the side longitudinal members selectively engaging the shoulders of the first-named members upon lateral shifting of the bed in one direction.

2. In combination with a casket, vertically disposed members carried by the end Walls of the Vil casket, said members being transversely spaced at each end of the casket, said members having shoulders disposed transversely of the casket, the shoulders of the members extending in the said direction, a bed including transversely spaced longitudinal members, the side longitudinal members selectively engaging the shoulders of the rst-named members upon lateral shifting of the bed in one direction, and means for holding the applied bed from shifting movement in the opposite direction.

3. In combination with a casket, vertically disposed members carried by the end walls of the casket, said members being transversely spaced at each end of the casket, said members having shoulders disposed transversely of the casket, the shoulders of the members extending in the same direction, a bed including transversely spaced longitudinal members, the side longitudinal members selectively engaging the shoulders of the rst-named members upon lateral shifting of the bed in one direction, and pawls pivotally mounted on the bed for contact with certain of the first-named members for holding the bed against lateral shifting movement in the opposite direction. EDGAR E. WIDDOVI'SON. 

